It is Amelia's birthday. She enjoys all her presents, but is surprised to get a toy that she can't quite identify. It is not quite an octopus, and not quite anything else either. It turns out it is not a toy at all, but an alien who has landed on Earth and takes her on an adventure around the solar system.

As a sci-fi and fantasy fan, this short chapter book was a fun departure from the much more realistic stories that I usually read with my children.

The story is imaginative and fun, and shows Amelia problem solving and exploring. It is important that you view this as a fantasy book, rather than something to teach your children about space. For one thing, the alien says he is from the planet Pluto, which as we all know has been declassified. ;-)

That aside, it was a fun read, and a perfect book to stretch my oldest in his independent reading with something fun to keep his attention.

Suggested Activities

Draw a map of the solar system. You can either draw it realistically, or make up your own universe and planets.

Go on an adventure in your neighborhood. See if you can find somewhere to explore that you have never done before. You could even write a story about it to send to a grandparent or friend in the mail.

Create a scavenger hunt for your child and find all the items, just like Amelia helps find the list of items in the book.

This book uses a lot of descriptive words. Put objects in a bag and take turns pulling one out and describing it in as much detail as you can. To make a group game you can blindfold everyone, and have one person describe the object to everyone else and see who can guess what it is first.

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Discussion Questions

Have you ever had to do something hard to help someone else? What was it?

Do you enjoy going to new places? Or is it scary? What can help it be fun?

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Why Beautiful Books for Children?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ― Dr. SeussWe believe that reading with your children, and then building on that reading by connecting with real world experiences, help children grow to their potential every day! It is a process we call "learning through integrative play." Learn more.